Indefinite Auto Strike In Hyderabad From Feb 14

In protest against alleged harassment by the RTA and the police, and demanding immediate settlement of their "reasonable demands", auto rickshaw drivers in the twin cities will go on an indefinite strike from February 14.

Announcing the strike today, Telangana Auto Drivers JAC convener Mohd Amanullah Khan alleged that the police and the RTA authorities were working against the policies and programs of the TRS government, and harassing auto drivers by seizing their autos indiscriminately on the pretext of irregularities.

Khan said that the TRS had in its manifesto promised that there would be no police and RTA harassment of auto drivers if the party came to power. Besides, party supremo K Chandrashekar Rao, too, had assured the auto drivers during election meetings that they would be issued the transport DLS and badges required to drive autos without the class VIII pass condition.

Khan lamented that the police and RTA authorities were however imposing heavy penalties of up to Rs 1,500, even in the cases of drivers who possessed valid DLS to drive autos.

The leader also rued that the state transport department had not conceded the auto drivers' long-pending demand to bring fares on par with those in the neighboring states. He said that the existing auto fares had been fixed by the then united AP government about four years ago, on February 14, which was why the auto drivers in the twin cities were unable to carry passengers as per the meter charges. He said that the existing auto fares weren't just unfair but also unrealistic as they did not account for factors like the high vehicle operational expenses and the high cost of living.

Khan said that a novel "footwear protest" demonstration would also be held at the Secunderabad RTA Zonal Office on February 1 at 11 am, demanding strict action against corrupt RTOs and a corruption-free RTA office.